Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 74
Episode 74 People (7)
When Yong was 3 years old, he was registered as the adopted son of his uncle, Grand Prince Seongnyeong, who died at the age of 14.
Afterwards, as he grew older, he moved back and forth between the palace and Grand Prince Seongnyeong’s house. One day, on his way to the palace, he saw a performance by a sadang troupe, which became the cause of his troubles.
The dragon riding in the palanquin showed curiosity at the noise coming from outside.
“uh. “What’s so loud?”
The eunuch who was waiting for the dragon’s question looked at the situation and answered.
“It looks like the Sadang group has been playing a role.”
“Sadang plaque? “Let’s take a look.”
The eunuch stopped the dragon’s words with a perplexed expression.
“It’s too vulgar for you, so it’s better not to look at it.”
“I have to see!”
When the dragon persisted, the nurse who was riding in the palanquin with the dragon came out to help the eunuch.
“Mama, in a place where there are a lot of things….”
“I have to see it!”
As the dragon’s voice grew louder, the nurse sighed and spoke to the eunuch.
“Let’s take a look around for a while.”
“wow! wow! Well done!”
Yong, who watched the Sadangpae play, was happy and clapped repeatedly.
The art of Eoreumsangi, which was performed by walking on a single rope hung high, was also amazing, and the art of Beonajabi, who placed a bowl or basin on a thin stick and twirled it around, exchanging jokes with Maehossi (a clown), was also amazing.
Yong, who watched three rounds of Sadangpae’s game – originally there were six games, but Yong started from the middle, so he only saw three – has been unable to forget that memory ever since.
Watching a child of similar age as himself fly in the sky, doing tricks and dancing with excitement, he felt as if he was overflowing with freedom that he could not have.
And more than anything, I was excited.
In the end, the dragon made a firm decision.
“I will become a sadangpae!”
* * *
When Yong, the third son, said that he desperately had something to say, King Sejong called Yong. Since he had some time off from government affairs, King Sejong drank tea and asked Yong a question.
“So you have something to say to this father?”
“I want to become a small sadangpae!”
“Phew! Yes Innoom!”
King Sejong was furious at Yong’s absurd remark, spitting out tea.
Afterwards, not only King Sejong but also Queen Soheon and Princess Jeonghye came forward to scold and scold him, but the dragon’s stubbornness did not break.
“no! no! “It’s going to be a sadangpae!”
After receiving the eunuch’s report, King Sejong placed his hand on his forehead and let out a long sigh.
“They said Yu has gotten better, so this time it’s a dragon… These damn children…” *
* *
As Sejong’s and the entire family’s worries deepened, the scent eventually came out.
Hyang called the dragon to sit down and quietly asked a question.
“Yong, did you say you wanted to become a member of the shrine?”
“yes!”
“Is it better to dance and sing like a sadang troupe, or is it better to watch a troupe perform?”
“Umm…”
The dragon couldn’t easily answer Hyang’s question and twisted his head.
Hyang, who saw the dragon struggling and not properly guessing what he liked, asked a question again.
“If you become a sadang group, you won’t be able to eat your favorite medicine or candy properly. Are you still going to become a sadang group?”
“I don’t like that…”
“I don’t like that, but isn’t it nice to see the Sadangpae play?”
“yes!”
“Then it’s simple. When you grow up to be a great person, you can call the shrine and take a look, right? “If your name rises, you will be able to gather all the shrine tiles from all over the country and see them, right?”
“Ah…”
The dragon’s mouth widened as he imagined Hyang’s words. The incense poured cold water on the dragon who was having such happy thoughts.
“By the way. “I think you won’t be a great person in this guy’s eyes.”
“why!”
“Look at it now. “How can I become a great person when I go out of my way to become a member of the shrine and make not only my abama, but also my mother and my sister worry?”
“I will become a great person!”
Hyang shook his head at the dragon’s shout.
“it’s hard. No, it’s impossible. I don’t listen and I don’t study. no way.”
“You can do it! if!”
“really?”
“yes!”
“I promised!”
“I promised!”
Hyang smiled at the dragon’s firm answer.
“Okay then, let me make a promise too. If you learn properly from Master Prince, I will take responsibility and show you the shrine plaque! “If you grow up to be a great person, I’ll invite shrine troupes from all over the country and give them a tour!”
“I promised!”
“It’s a promise!”
At Hyang’s words, Yong took a similar path as Yu.
‘The dragon’s mind was corrected by the incense.’ After receiving the report, King Sejong was devastated for the first time in a long time.
“ha ha ha! Indeed, it is Cesaro! Indeed, he is the eldest son!”
As King Sejong was happy, the ministers also came to his side and helped.
“This is indeed the Hongbok of Joseon!”
“That’s right!”
Meanwhile, Hyang, who was thinking about her two younger brothers in her room, shook her head.
“One is a man of virtue and the other is an idiot… How can one be bullied in a field that is famous for being difficult to heal even if one is bullied? I was able to get him to study, but I should be thankful to the teachers.”
The teachers Hyang mentioned were the teachers who taught Hyang in the 21st century when he was a high school student. Teachers who knew Hyang’s famous virtue gave him the following advice.
“If you don’t want to be criticized for being a nerd, succeed! “If you tell yourself to become a nungdeok or a saint, you will be called a ‘lover with a maniacal hobby’ rather than a ‘damn geek’!”
“Even if you like alcohol, if you empty your soju glass while dragging a trash can on your saggy nanninggu, you are a loser who only drinks alcohol. But if you wear a luxury suit and drink high-quality liquor at a hotel bar, you are considered to enjoy drinking! It’s really dirty, isn’t it? “That’s the way the world is.”
The scent that had been reminiscing about old times like that made me scratch my head.
“By the way, it’s the same for me and those guys… If fans like this come out, don’t you think there will be a ‘Jeonju Lee fan group’ later on?”
Even though a small typhoon was brewing over the princes’ discipline problem, many officials in the court did not pay much attention.
“The only thing left to do is work when you don’t have time to worry about that!”
Looking at the books and scrolls that kept accumulating even though they worked hard, the princes’ career paths were stories of officials from another world.
And the biggest reason they didn’t care was because someone with an incredibly strong presence called Hyang was holding out as the successor.
“The Crown Prince is holding on tight anyway, so is there any need to worry?”
* * *
However, there were also those who were troubled by unresolved questions.
Hassan was a 9th grade industrial-academic trainee and worked as a regular 8th-grade industrial-academic trainee and researcher at the research institute.
“Big hahundo. Why are you looking like that these days? “What’s wrong at home?”
A lab colleague who found Hassan with an unhappy expression asked him a question. Since Hassan’s younger brother was also working as an industry-academic trainee and researcher, the institute officials were calling him ‘Big Ha-hun and Little Ha-hun-do’.
The trap was that my younger brother was taller.
Hassan, who was asked a question by a fellow official, shook his head and gave a noncommittal answer.
“Oh no.”
“Just by looking at your expression, it looks like there’s a big problem at home.”
“There’s a problem that can’t be solved…”
Hassan’s reply was answered by his colleague, who looked like he was having a hard time.
“If there’s a problem you can’t solve, just ask someone else! Why are you giving yourself so much trouble! “Let’s go quickly!”
“Yes, yes…”
Hassan’s lukewarm reply made his fellow officials startled.
“thing! Are you married at that age? “Let’s go together!”
“No, that’s not it…”
“Oh my! “Follow me!”
In the end, the Ojiryan official dragged Hassan to Yi Sun-ji.
“What’s going on?”
When Sunji Lee asked about business, Hassan hesitated.
“That’s it…”
“Say it quickly. Isn’t time passing? “Precious time.”
Hassan, who had made up his mind at Sunji Lee’s urging, opened his mouth.
“There is a problem that cannot be solved at all.”
At Hassan’s words, Sunji Lee’s eyes began to sparkle.
“Unsolvable problem? Huh? It’s a difficult problem that even the greatest Hundo in the world can’t solve… Is this something that appeals to Europe and America? So what’s the problem?”
“Where on earth are these people that the Crown Prince is talking about?”
“huh?”
“Eh?”
Sunji Lee and her colleagues just blinked at Hassan’s question, which was far beyond their expectations.
“I don’t understand… why Seo-i all of a sudden?”
In response to Sunji Lee’s question about the reason, Hassan added.
“It may seem like self-praise, but the people who know Seo-i best in the current government are me, my younger brother, and the church members who joined us.”
“That’s right.”
Sunji Lee and his colleagues nodded at Hassan’s words.
After gathering his words for a moment, Hassan continued speaking.
“Although 30 years have passed since our family settled in Joseon, we still had some contact with church members from Ming Dynasty. Through him, I was able to hear stories about the Catholic countries called Seo-i in Joseon. But…”
* * *
Hassan’s explanation went on for a long time. Lee Soon-ji, who listened to Hassan’s story with a serious face, came to a conclusion.
“I don’t think this is a problem that will end in my line. “Move with me.”
“yes.”
Lee Sun-ji stood up and warned the official who came with him.
“I would like you to keep this matter as quiet as possible. Even for your own sake.”
In response to Yi Sun-ji’s warning, the official swallowed his saliva with a pale face and answered.
“Yes yep!”
“No, it would be better for you to move together.”
“I will definitely keep it confidential!”
“There is such a thing as this? ‘A body that has already been thrown away’. “Don’t talk nonsense, just follow me.”
The official responded to Lee Sun-ji’s firm command with a tearful expression.
“Yeah…”
Hassan, who was watching the scene from the side, tapped his colleague on the shoulder.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, I just dug my own grave. “What a fool…”
“Welcome!”
“yep!”
* * *
“Hmm… So what you’re saying is that even Seo-i couldn’t make the things that the crown prince said were Seo-i’s?”
Hassan nodded to Jeongcho’s question.
“Is there any solid evidence?”
Hassan immediately answered Jeongcho’s question.
“The clearest evidence is those sailboats.”
“Sailboats?”
“Yes, do you remember the time when I went to Ming to rescue glass craftsmen under your orders?”
Jeongcho nodded to Hassan’s question.
“I know. “In the end, didn’t your younger brother leave for his hometown because he couldn’t find a craftsman of the level he wanted?”
“yes. The condition he put forward at that time was that he be a craftsman capable of making plate glass and objects called lenses. And the standard for subsequent plate glass was to be at least 2 feet by 2 feet (approximately 70 cm).”
When Hassan told the story to his relatives, they were horrified.
“Is that Crown Prince Italian?”
“What do you mean?”
“Making such large quantities of plate glass began in Italy some time ago! “We only heard about it recently!”
“… In other words, His Majesty the Crown Prince was aware of technology that had only recently been developed in a country he had never visited.”
Jeongcho immediately countered Hassan’s words.
“Isn’t it just that His Majesty the Crown Prince has set the bar high? ‘It should be like this.’ “I mean.”
“That may be true, but it was a very detailed standard that could not be met without some detailed knowledge. And…”
Hassan paused for a moment and raised his hand to point to the hallway.
“The most incomprehensible thing is those sailing ships. “In particular, the battleship at the end is the biggest problem.”
“Battleship? why?”
“From what I heard, there is not a single country among the West that has built ships like that.”
“huh?”
In response to his relative’s shocked reaction to the plate glass issue, Hassan asked what he was most curious about.
“By the way. “Are there any boats made by Catholic pagans that do not use oars and only use sails?”
“Yes. I once went to my hometown with the eunuch of the famous emperor named Zheng He. Since I had already gone back to my hometown, I went to the Mediterranean to make more money, but the Spaniards built a big ship. “Something like Karak?”
“What does he look like?”
“That’s…”
In response to Hassan’s question, the relative traced his memory and drew a picture on paper. Hassan, who saw the picture, asked again.
“So this is the latest model used by the heretics?”
“yes!”
“The sailboat in the picture my relative drew at that time was the sailboat that His Majesty the Crown Prince ordered to be the ‘first generation.’”
“Do you have that picture?”
In response to Jeongcho’s question, Hassan reached into his sleeve and pulled out a piece of paper.
Jeong Cho’s face hardened when he saw the picture drawn on the paper.
The ship drawn on paper was a bit rough, but it almost resembled what was named the ‘first generation ocean sailing ship’.
Looking at the expression on New Year’s Day, Hassan continued.
“What’s even more strange is the new armor that began to be supplied from the Naegeumwi. “It’s covered with cloth on the outside, but no matter how you look at it, it’s just the plate armor of the people.”
“That’s because the swordsmanship that Naegeumwis practice is the swordsmanship of Seoi…”
“Yes, I know. Among the books you saved, a swordsmanship book containing the swordsmanship of the swordsmen was brought in, and it was made available to Naegumwi Gapsa who had not mastered the swordsmanship or other swordsmanship. But you can’t make such perfect armor with just a few pictures. They didn’t have the technology to put it in a mold and print it all at once. It’s literally a new technology. That’s why I tell you I don’t know. “Where on earth are these people that the Crown Prince is talking about?”
“What you are saying is…”
“You said it was a lie, but this must be what you were thinking. Then ‘Why? Did they say it was Seo? Why are you so wary of Seo-i?’ “The problem arises.”
“Hmm… it’s a matter that needs to be thought about.”
Jeong Cho, who was nodding his head, cautioned Yi Sun-ji, Hassan, and the officials who had been dragged in unexpectedly.
“Let’s keep this matter quiet for the time being. “If you do something wrong, the rise and fall of Joseon could be at stake.”
“yes.”
* * *
A few days later, the institute’s official holiday. A slave came to Hassan’s house.
“Please come to the New Year’s Office by the end of the evening (9 p.m.).”
“Okay.”
The slave who delivered the news said hello and quietly disappeared.
After drinking, Hassan headed to Jeong Cho’s house.
As soon as Nobok, who was loitering in front of the gate, found Hassan, he quietly guided him to the Sarangchae.
“The guest you were waiting for has arrived.”
“Please take me inside.”
“yes. “Please eat it.”
“I understand.”
Hassan, who went up to the main hall of the sarangchae, turned his head and looked at the sarangbang. Hassan, who saw King Sejong seated at the head table in the innermost part of the room, quickly bowed deeply.
“New Sanhakhundo….”
“Shh! “Please come in quietly.”
“yes.”
At King Sejong’s order, Hassan entered the room and took a seat in the last seat.
“I think we’re all there now, so let’s get to the point.”
“Yes, Your Highness. “It all started over there with Hundo…”
Jeong Cho explained the details of the incident.
After hearing the explanation, Sejong nodded.
“Gwain has been having similar questions lately. I read the books the Crown Prince had collected, but there was no book that even explained what the Crown Prince said. “Then where did the Crown Prince’s knowledge come from?”
Jeongcho answered King Sejong’s question.
“God also had similar questions. “If you think about the most recent issue of heliocentrism, it seemed like they couldn’t explain it because it was an obvious fact that didn’t need to be explained.”
“Is that possible?”
Lee Soon-ji came forward and answered King Sejong’s question.
“In the case of God, there were often cases where the answer came to mind right away when I saw a certain formula, but I had a hard time explaining the solution. “I think it might be something like that.”
As Lee Sun-ji defended the scent, Choi Hae-san added.
“When I look back on the design and experimentation of the Fuhrer, I have a strong feeling that the gods made me know even though I already knew the result.”
“Why on earth?”
No one immediately opened their mouths to King Sejong’s question.
After a while, Jeong In-ji opened his mouth.
“I think it might be because of your relationship.”
“It’s because of the crown prince’s age…” As
King Sejong nodded, Jeong In-ji continued speaking.
“If you look at your actions so far, you first did things that earned recognition, and then based on those achievements, you did even greater things. “If such a process had not taken place, how likely would it have been for the large and small officials of the royal court to have heard my words?”
“You anticipated that and went into action and used Seo-yi as an excuse?”
“It is most likely.”
“Hmm…”
Sejong, who was stroking his beard and considering the possibilities, looked at Hassan.
“Ha, did you say Hundo?”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
“Are these people called Seo-yi really as ruthless as the Crown Prince said?”
“But there are still others!”
Hassan strongly criticized the people’s recklessness.
“The pride of these people, that they are descendants of the great empire called Rome, reaches to the heavens! There are people who have no hesitation in killing those who believe in other gods, claiming that it is the will of the god they believe in! And there are many people who are as greedy for technology as they are for wealth!”
“Then, if we meet without preparation, it will end up like the crown prince said?”
“Yes!”
“Then…”
Hearing Hassan’s words, Sejong began to organize his thoughts.
“I command the officers.”
“I will listen!”
Sejong gave orders in a cautious voice.
“In my opinion, most of the things the crown prince has created or announced so far came from his head. However, make it known to the outside world that it is Seo-yi’s, just like the Crown Prince did. This is a plan to kill two birds with one stone. One of them is to protect the Crown Prince by making other countries think that this technology belongs to Seo Yi. The other is to invest time and energy into finding Seo-i, giving you time to elude him. “You know what I mean, right?”
“I will keep this in mind!”
“And ha hun too. “You don’t know that you have to keep this confidential, right?”
Hassan bowed his head and answered King Sejong’s question.
“Sin Hassan Hamed Mohammed Al Ottaibi! Joseon is where I will settle down and die! “I will protect your confidentiality in the name of my family!”
“Can you swear in the name of the god you believe in?”
“I swear to you in the name of Allah, the One God! “I will not reveal any secrets, not even to my family!”
“Don’t forget that there will be a price.”
In this way, a secret that would be the biggest source of controversy and trouble for historians in the future was born in the Sarangchae of the first year of the Joseon Dynasty.
* * *
“Heh! guy!”
King Sejong, who was returning to the palace from his house at the beginning of the year, suddenly burst into laughter.
“What’s going on, Your Highness?”
“It’s nothing special.”
Sejong lightly waved his hand and grumbled inwardly.
‘Child! He must have had some sense of text! And yet you were removing the hour hand? There’s a lot of government work going on right now, so should I just pass it on?’
Sejong, who was thinking about his nasty son who made him do things by talking about text messages whenever he got the chance, shook his head.
“No! “You can’t be a father worse than your children!”
“yes?”
“It’s no big deal. “I’m just saying that the ministers will be busy starting tomorrow.”
“Yes~.”
‘Ceja! My father will prepare the ground as much as possible so that you can ascend to the throne and exercise your will to your heart’s content!’
That night, all the ministers were put under the scissors.